Too Great a Lady: The Notorious, Glorious Life of Emma, Lady Hamilton

by Amanda Elyot

Emma Hamilton is renowned as the real-life heroine of the greatest love story in British history. Now, Amanda Elyot breathes new life into this remarkable woman, in what might have been Emma's very own words.

The impoverished daughter of an illiterate country farmer, young Emily Lyon sold coal by the roadside to help put food on the family's table. By the time she was fifteen, she had made her way from London nursemaid to vivacious courtesan, and continued a meteoric rise through society, rung by slippery rung, to become the most talked-about woman in all of Europe, mistress of many tongues, a key envoy in Britain's and Italy's war against the French, and confidante to a queen.

This novel, inspired by her remarkable life, recounts Emma's many extraordinary adventures, the earth-shattering passion she eventually found with Lord Nelson, and how they braved the censure of king and country, risking all in the name of true love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, British Literature

412 pages, Paperback

First published February 6, 2007

About the author

Also, Leslie Carroll

I was born and raised in New York City, attended the Fieldston School in Riverdale, and received my Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University. I began writing novels in 1998 while I was working three survival jobs simultaneously and struggling to have a career as a working actress. Over the years I slogged away in dreary day jobs in such diverse fields as politics, advertising, public relations, law, and journalism. Finally, in 2003 I was able to become a fulltime author, and I’m still acting professionally as long as the script, the role, and the talent of the people involved are feeding my soul.

My first novel was published in March, 2002. To date I have had seven works of contemporary women’s fiction published under my own name. I have also published four works of historical fiction under the pen name Amanda Elyot.

In June, 2008, I’ll make my nonfiction debut with a book about the sex lives of the English sovereigns, titled ROYAL AFFAIRS: A Lusty Romp Through the Extramarital Adventures that Rocked the British Monarchy.

As Leslie Sara Carroll, I have played virgins, vixens, and villainesses on the in New York stage and in regional theatre and have appeared in commercials, on voiceovers and talking books, and daytime dramas. My classical repertoire includes the leading ladies of Shakespeare, Molière, Coward, Wilde, and a staggering number of Shavian heroines. Not merely confining my performances to the canons of dead playwrights, I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to read and perform new plays by Meir Z. Ribalow, Arthur Giron, Cassandra Medley, James McLure, Jack Heifner, Pulitzer Prize winner N. Scott Momaday, and National Book Award winner Denis Johnson, among others, as part of two play-development units: New River Dramatists in Healing Springs, NC, and the Playwrights Workshop, at The Players, a renowned theatre and literary social club on New York's Gramercy Park. I am a third-generation member of The Players.

Under the auspices of Survivor Productions, a not-for-profit professional theatre company that I founded in 1989, I produced several seasons of "neglected" plays of the 19th century. I am also the author of three stage adaptations of 19th century/early 20th century English novels: Ivanhoe, The Prisoner of Zenda, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The first two plays received successful professional productions in New York City; Zenda was a finalist at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival. Additionally, I dramatized The Diaries of Adam and Eve, based upon the humorous writing of Mark Twain, which received its premiere at The Players club (of which Twain was a founding member).

Among many other published journalistic pieces, I have written articles on intellectual property rights as they affect directors and dramaturgs, "How to Start a Non-Profit Theatre Company," and "How to Build and Maintain an Audience," for Back Stage, New York's leading trade paper for the Theatre professional, where, as Associate Editor, I wrote and edited theatre industry news and features. I am a member of the Authors Guild and the national chapter of Romance Writers of America.

After spending decades surrounded by hundreds of books, needlework, family mementos, and a plethora of romantic pre-Raphaelite prints in a rambling pre-war apartment I once shared with her grandmother, I moved uptown and now live with my husband on Manhattan's Upper West Side. With Scott by my side, a washer/dryer, dishwasher, and a walk-in closet—I’m in heaven!

Reviews

[Recynd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. Honestly, if I didn't know this was based on fact...and, I assume, solid research...I'd have chucked it across the room by now.

I loathe the "Glorious" Lady Hamilton, and would be inclined to chuck HER across the room if I had the chance and the strength. I know, I could swing her around by her ankle-length hair, if it'd hold (I know what MY hair looks like when it gets too long...I can only imagine what hers must have looked like).

I HATE perky, can-do types; give me a maladjusted, confused, incapable protagonist any time...at least I can relate to THAT!

[Candice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was fine, but I found myself skimming the second half just to get it over with. You know what's going to happen (the opening gives that away even if you don't know the history) and the love story between Emma and Nelson is rather ridiculous.
I did not like Emma much at all. She is a prime example of someone who glides through life living off her good looks (and the over the top accolades from the men in her life are idiotic). What makes me like her even less is her distain for everyone else who isn't as blessed as she is. She is rather hateful towards Nelson's wife without really feeling bad about the fact that she herself has stolen him from her, as if to say, "how dare she lay claim to her husband when it's me he really loves!". She's not an endearing character and I tired of her quickly. The history is good though, it's always fun to be imersed in another time and place.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never heard of Lady Hamilton before, but apparently as the lover?/mistress? of Horatio Nelson, she was quite infamous. This is a fictionalized memoir of her life. I respected her until she starts to justify her affair with Lord Nelson, even though she is still sooo married. The life of excess and their rich-people problems seemed petty and I found myself devoid of any sympathy for her.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a biography of Emma, Lady Hamilton over Christmas and was fascinated by her. A lower-than-working-class-girl who became the most celebrated face in Europe (you've seen her face in some portrait gallery or another), who started the fashion that I associate with the Regency era (think Jane Austen), and who became Admiral Nelson's mistress, Emma's life intersections with amazing people and places in history. That said, this fictionalized account is not as colorful as the more interesting, more scholarly account ( Kate Williams' England's Mistress: The Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton). I highly recommend the other as a better read. This one, not so much.

[Carla Hostetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I admire the huge amount of meticulous research that went into this historical novel about the notorious Lady Hamilton, best known as Admiral Nelson's lover, it might have been better told in the third person than in the voice of the lady herself. While true to history, I did wish Emma had learned to pronounce her "h's". She chose one of the few ways a woman might succeed in the 18th century, sleeping her way to the top, but her constant reports about how many admire her does get old. More interesting is her true accomplishments in languages and diplomacy and acting which are less known than her total devotion to Lord Nelson and her sad ending after his death.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Compared to other of Elyot's books, I wasn't that impressed. She does do great work on fleshing out historical characters, but I got so bogged down in this book that I let it sit for 2 months, and then finished it.

[Becki · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be the worst book I have EVER read. I cant even give it to the Goodwill. It is that bad!! Terrible!!!!!!

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. Struggled to get half way through book then gave up. Waste of time.

[Cheryl S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't stick with this one.

[Amelia Valentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It was fine, flat and serviceable until the end. I don’t think the author intended to make her character petty and unlikable, but she was so flat that when it came time to the end, you weren’t really rooting for her?

[Emmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at an interesting life.

The history is fairly accurate. Having read Nelson’s letters to her, the description of their affair actually seems a little mild. But a very entertaining read.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the Amazon.com reviews I was eagerly anticipating this book about Lady Emma Hamilton, a common born woman who rose to fame both for her beauty and for her affair with Admiral Lord Nelson. Born Amy Lyon in 1765, by seventeen years of age she was already well-known in London society as the mistress of several men and as the “Goddess of Health” for a quack Scottish doctor named James Graham. Eventually she moved to Italy where she became the toast of society and married the English Lord Hamilton, and it was during this period of her life that Lady Hamilton met Admiral Lord Nelson. Altogether Lady Hamilton’s life is captivating and “Too Great a Lady” captures some of that, especially during the first half of the book where we learn about Emma’s early years in a brothel and as a kept woman. However, the second half of the book loses much of Emma’s voice and reads more like a history book than a novel. Significant portions of each chapter are composed of excerpts from Lady Hamilton and Lord Nelson’s letters, and though we still learn about her life, for the most part she recounts Nelson’s military history and current missions. I felt like her story took a backseat while Nelson’s military prowess came to the front, and while I don’t dispute Nelson’s well-deserved renown I was more interested in Emma’s thoughts and feelings. The old adage of “show don’t tell” would have improved the story significantly in this area, transforming Emma’s social gatherings from something akin to “went we to a dance” to an entire world of costume, food and conversation. Finally, Emma’s inconsistent dialect drove me up the wall. The author goes to great lengths to convince the reader that Emma was so proud of her Cheshire accent that she refused to get rid of it, despite having near native pronunciation in languages such as Italian and French. Nevertheless, Emma’s dialogue is incredibly inconsistent. For instance, on page 360 Emma says “Mam, Emma Carew has just arrived. Tell me, and tell me true: did you plan this?” then some 8 lines down Emma suddenly sounds like this “Only I ‘ope I never ‘ave to answer too many questions. My ‘eart won’t be able to stand up to it, y’nau?” In the first example Emma sounds like a well-spoken ‘lady,’ capable of pronouncing the letter H and all. In the second example, she has reverted to her Cheshire accent, dropping all the H’s and even becoming unable to say “you know” correctly. I realize I’m being tremendously picky here, and I have no problem with accents – but if a character is going to have a heavy accent they should have it throughout!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author states that she is a novelist, not a historian, but there is still quite a bit of history apparent in this novel that uses the voice of Lady Hamilton as the first person narrator. As the narrator, she is candid, but obviously biased and selective, in viewing her actions and the people around her...nothing modest about her though...which, of course, would hardly be in character for this famous mistress. The author manages to build a convincing portrait of a fascinating woman who used her brain as well as her body to rise from humble origin to world fame. However, the histrionics of her grief, the loud protestations of motherly love, bragging of her beauty and talent, and diplomatic interferencs were a little much. This makes me want to read a biography to see how much of the novel rings true.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a chapter or two to really get in to this book. I found the prose to be rather simply put, but after a few chapters, I was sucked in to the story. I found myself devouring page after page at any free moment and wondering what would happen next at odd moments throughout the day. But as I drew close to the end, I started getting the sense that the author had lost interest in her subject. Another reviewer mentioned that the last few chapters feel really rushed, and with this I totally agree. The rest of the book is so detailed, and yet the last few chapters barely skim over the rest of Lady Hamilton's life. It's a shame because this could be a really great book otherwise.

[Rachel Swords · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know much about the real history of Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton. After reading this book, though, I plan to learn more. Elyot tells Emma's story in an easy-to-read tone, wisely limiting Emma's dialect to her moments of speech. Sir William is a very likable character, so much that readers might agree with the English public in their opinion of Emma and Nelson. However, Emma is equally likable, so that we the readers don't; rather, she is a figure to be pitied, especially once she becomes a widow. Overall, "Too Great a Lady" is a very good historical fiction story.

[Aria · Rating 1 out of 5]

whiny girl screws her way to the top, and still manages to feign being put upon. she doesn't even own what she is doing, just gets off on everyone admiring her beauty, then goes on to lament whatever doesn't work out to her liking. i skipped a chapter and still couldn't manage to reach the middle of this book. i took a break and came back to the thing (for some reason), and right away wanted to push this girl out a freaking window. ---- rather than put this book back out into the world to bore someone else, i think i'll go with the more humane option and pop it in the recycling bin.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written fictional look at the life of Emma, Lady Hamilton, and her affairs, including her great love for Horatio Nelson. I enjoyed the sense of place and time, and my issues are not with the book, but with Emma herself. I wanted her to get over the feeling that she had to put on a show and just economize and straighten out her life and I lost patience with her and didn't feel a lot of redemption.

[Cheri McLelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was in love with this book up until the ending. I felt like the author got to a point in the story where she would have liked to end it but decides to tell us what becomes of the main character but as quickly as possible. The last few chapters of this book just felt rushed to me. No where near as much detail as the rest of the book.

[ROBYN MARKOW · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry,can't get into it. I think it's because of the writing style of the book;I like clean,clear writing;not sentences that go on for almost half a paragraph. Also,I think I need a break from books about Courtesans however,I would like to read about the fascinating Lady Hamilton so I'll find another book about her later on.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, but not great. Parts of it were entertaining, but I really had to slog through to the ending....I enjoyed the last book I had read by her, but if I had read this one first I would probably not have given another book by her a second glance.

[J-me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fab woman from 18th century

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this author's writing.
There was a movie about Lady Hamilton - she took flirting to a WHOLE new level.

[TheDiversePhDReads]

In my must come back and finish pile.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, intresting, gossipy, historical romancey story. Quick read and good characters.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting period drama about Lady Hamilton's relationship with Horatio Nelson.

[Tori]

2007